TTC after Methotrexate shot

[chig]

Grace- first, I am so sorry that you have to go through this difficult time. You are in great hands with the ladies here. Everyone is soooooo supportive. This thread was a major part to help me move on. I know it's not easy, but try to stay strong and know that there is hope ahead.

My hcg levels were at 8100 when I got the shot. I only needed one, thankfully. It took about 5-6 weeks for my numbers to hit 0. Once my numbers hit 0, I started my regular prenatal vitamins that has 1mg of folic acid. I waited 4 months/ 5 cycles to start ttc again and I got my BFP on my second cycle trying! Now I am just praying this is my forever baby! I waited a longer than most, but my doctor said I could try after 3 normal cycles. My periods did vary a lot so I waited a little longer.

I hope that helps! Good luck to you and I hope those numbers drop quick for you.

 

[baby_maybe]

Hi grace, welcome to this thread, even though its a shame you have to be here This really is a great place to get support, it has helped me a lot over the past months, especially while I was waiting for my hcg to get back to 0.

I had the metho injection on 5th march this year, my hcg was at 13,000 (so higher than quite a few of the ladies here). I only ended up needing one shot, but it did take 9 weeks to get back to 0. If I'd agreed to have a second shot that was offered I think it would have been quicker. I took and still take 2.8mg of folic acid a day, plus a prenatal that includes another 400mcg of folic acid. It is my understanding that you can safely take up to 5mg a day with no problem. We started ttc after my af which took me to the 3 month point since the shot, so first day of af was 28th may and I don't think I ov'd until until about cd20, about the 16th of June or so (my most recent scan agrees with this) and I got my bfp on that first cycle.

I'm still a little worried about my 12 week scan which is on weds, just due to the metho and on and off spotting that I have had throughout so far, but all my scans have been fine so far.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer.

Again, sorry that you have to find us in sad circumstances

 

[grace10209]

Grace- first, I am so sorry that you have to go through this difficult time. You are in great hands with the ladies here. Everyone is soooooo supportive. This thread was a major part to help me move on. I know it's not easy, but try to stay strong and know that there is hope ahead.

My hcg levels were at 8100 when I got the shot. I only needed one, thankfully. It took about 5-6 weeks for my numbers to hit 0. Once my numbers hit 0, I started my regular prenatal vitamins that has 1mg of folic acid. I waited 4 months/ 5 cycles to start ttc again and I got my BFP on my second cycle trying! Now I am just praying this is my forever baby! I waited a longer than most, but my doctor said I could try after 3 normal cycles. My periods did vary a lot so I waited a little longer.

I hope that helps! Good luck to you and I hope those numbers drop quick for you.

Thank you for so kindly welcoming me. I hope that being here and focusing on you all and the positives will help me. I am waiting for the results of todays blood work. I think today and Thursday will mean a lot as they told me if hcg doesn't go down by 15% by Thursday then they will want to me get another injection. I am praying that is not needed.

I think its wonderful that you are pregnant again, especially on the 2nd cycle trying! THATS wonderful! I pray things stay positive for you.

 

[grace10209]

Hi grace, welcome to this thread, even though its a shame you have to be here This really is a great place to get support, it has helped me a lot over the past months, especially while I was waiting for my hcg to get back to 0.

I had the metho injection on 5th march this year, my hcg was at 13,000 (so higher than quite a few of the ladies here). I only ended up needing one shot, but it did take 9 weeks to get back to 0. If I'd agreed to have a second shot that was offered I think it would have been quicker. I took and still take 2.8mg of folic acid a day, plus a prenatal that includes another 400mcg of folic acid. It is my understanding that you can safely take up to 5mg a day with no problem. We started ttc after my af which took me to the 3 month point since the shot, so first day of af was 28th may and I don't think I ov'd until until about cd20, about the 16th of June or so (my most recent scan agrees with this) and I got my bfp on that first cycle.

I'm still a little worried about my 12 week scan which is on weds, just due to the metho and on and off spotting that I have had throughout so far, but all my scans have been fine so far.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer.

Again, sorry that you have to find us in sad circumstances

BabyMaybe
thats SO wonderful that you are 12 weeks along already?!?!??! You waited the PERFECT amount of time. Everything says 90 days from injection date, yours was March 5th, so June 5th was 90 and you likely O'd on June 16th so you are perfectly safe!! How exciting! this is giving me hope. My 90 days will be November 23 so I plan/hope to ttc anytime after that date!
Wow thats a lot of folic acid you are taking but I think its smart seeing the shot depletes your body of all of it. Im guessing your doctor told you it was ok/good to take that much - Im going to ask mine what I should take, or what is the MAX I should take. i want to start building my levels back up as soon as I hit zero on hcg. I want to do whatever I can to have my body healthy and ready to be pregnant again. Wow so wednesday is your scan thats so great?! and then you will be in 2nd trimester?

have you guys told people you are pregnant yet? family? friends? work? Dh and I agreed to wait til we hit 12 weeks to tell people, this made the ectopic very very hard for me as NO ONE KNEW i was pregnant so NO ONE knows what I am going through now. (well i had to tell my boss because i left my work balling the other day)
thank god for this site.
good luck to you!!!!!!! can't wait to hear on wednesday. this thread is going to keep me going -

 

[libbyloulou]

Hi Guys
I hope you dont mind me joining you all. I am going through an ectopic now and need desperately to think about the future and the positives that can come. I am trying to STOP crying about what I have had to do (just got methotextrate injection on Thursday). Today was my first blood draw since the shot and im trying to move forward and think about ttc again, Even though I KNOW I CAN"T until atleast 90 days or so from injection.

Anyway, I stumbled upon this thread and I see that you have all been through this and now you guys are ttc again and some of you have even gotten another BFP! I am hoping i can join you for support and encouragement on this journey. I am SOO thrilled to see that some of you are pregnant again and this really gives me hope.

I guess one thing I wanted to ask is, or a few things.

1) how long did it take for hcg to get to zero?
2) did you need a 2nd injection? what were your hcg numbers?
3) once it did hit zero, did you start taking any SPECIAL prenatals to build up folic acid again? or just regular prenatals? i want to build up my folic and vitamins again as soon as I hit zero so i want to know what is best to take.
4) what were dates of injections and dates of you next bfp?

I have been crying each day since thursday and today is the first day I have decided to NOT let this control me anymore, I want to be positive and I want to think/focus on the future.

thanks all!

Hi Grace,

Firstly so sorry you have had to join us on here, but like others I am pleased you found the thread as I know it will give you support and encouragement in what is a really crappy time! It took me ages to get over my ectopic mentally and i know how hard it is to think about other things when the future seems so uncertain!

I think my hcg was 1500ish when I got the first shot. I had the second shot a week later as my numbers hadn't decreased enough. It took about 5 wks to reach 0 but I bled most of this time (not heavy). Had a bleed which i assume was af when i got below zero.

We waited 3 cycles before ttc and I got my bfp 2 cycles after that. I'm now 28 weeks with triplets! Don't give up hope and make sure you look after yourself xxx

 

[chig]

Well, I got my second hcg level back from Friday and they went up by 72%. The nurse said that this was still fine as they look for 66% increase. My numbers went from 3317 to 5731. Should I be worried?

 

[baby_maybe]

Chig that sounds fine hun as the doubling rate slows down once your hcg goes over 1000. I'll see if I can find the link that I looked at and post it for you xx

Grace - I'm not sure where you are, but here if your bmi is over 30 they offer you 5mg folic acid supplement anyway, so I knew it was safe to take up to that amount. I wanted to get a fairly high dose in as I knew I wouldn't be taking it for as long as some before I started tttc again, mainly due to it taking so long to get my hcg down.

We told people after I had a scan at 10+1 when it looked ok on that, for some reason I'm still nervous for this next one, but at the end of the day what will be, will be. I guess I will be 2nd tri now really, that's scary but bring relief at the same time. First tri has been hard with no one knowing and worries about another ectopic etc. No one knew I had the ectopic when it happened either, we didn't really tell anyone until I was about 6-7 weeks into waiting for the hcg to go down, but by then I felt a lot more myself and not so weepy all the time. My DH was just great through all of it though, so I didnt really feel that I needed input from outside at that point.

 

[baby_maybe]

Here's the link chig, it should put your mind at ease somewhat

https://www.babymed.com/hcg-level-in-early-pregnancy

 

[grace10209]

Well, I got my second hcg level back from Friday and they went up by 72%. The nurse said that this was still fine as they look for 66% increase. My numbers went from 3317 to 5731. Should I be worried?

I think its good. They say 66% is what they want and you are OVER that. So I would be happy! What is the next step? have they been doubling over 66% EACH TIME? Im sure you have looked at this site before right??

https://www.betabase.info/doublingCalc.php

 

[chig]

Here's the link chig, it should put your mind at ease somewhat

https://www.babymed.com/hcg-level-in-early-pregnancy

Thanks baby_maybe! So here is how my numbers match up according to the site:
4w+4d: avg= 1710, normal range = 1,050-2,800 -->Mine=3317
4w+6d, avg= 3100, normal range = 1,940-4,980. -->Mine = 5731

Are my numbers too high? According to my scan, I was measuring only 4w+3d when I thought I was 4w+6d...So confusing...What does this all mean???

So, according to the site, since my numbers were already so high, it should be taking 72-96 hours to double. According to that, my numbers did great. If I calculate it, my numbers indicate a rate double time every 60 hours! Am I going crazy calculating all this ?

I wish the nurse told me this, so that I wouldn't panic so much.

 

[grace10209]

Hi Guys
I hope you dont mind me joining you all. I am going through an ectopic now and need desperately to think about the future and the positives that can come. I am trying to STOP crying about what I have had to do (just got methotextrate injection on Thursday). Today was my first blood draw since the shot and im trying to move forward and think about ttc again, Even though I KNOW I CAN"T until atleast 90 days or so from injection.

Anyway, I stumbled upon this thread and I see that you have all been through this and now you guys are ttc again and some of you have even gotten another BFP! I am hoping i can join you for support and encouragement on this journey. I am SOO thrilled to see that some of you are pregnant again and this really gives me hope.

I guess one thing I wanted to ask is, or a few things.

1) how long did it take for hcg to get to zero?
2) did you need a 2nd injection? what were your hcg numbers?
3) once it did hit zero, did you start taking any SPECIAL prenatals to build up folic acid again? or just regular prenatals? i want to build up my folic and vitamins again as soon as I hit zero so i want to know what is best to take.
4) what were dates of injections and dates of you next bfp?

I have been crying each day since thursday and today is the first day I have decided to NOT let this control me anymore, I want to be positive and I want to think/focus on the future.

thanks all!

Hi Grace,

Firstly so sorry you have had to join us on here, but like others I am pleased you found the thread as I know it will give you support and encouragement in what is a really crappy time! It took me ages to get over my ectopic mentally and i know how hard it is to think about other things when the future seems so uncertain!

I think my hcg was 1500ish when I got the first shot. I had the second shot a week later as my numbers hadn't decreased enough. It took about 5 wks to reach 0 but I bled most of this time (not heavy). Had a bleed which i assume was af when i got below zero.

We waited 3 cycles before ttc and I got my bfp 2 cycles after that. I'm now 28 weeks with triplets! Don't give up hope and make sure you look after yourself xxx

OMG TRIPLETS!!!!!!!!!!!! were you taking any fertility medications or did triplets just randomly happen? I have not had any bleeding yet, just a little spotting which started yesterday but its not much to speak of, I have a dull back ache and thats it. Do you have any other children? was just wondering how this pregnancy with 3 babies feels compared to others?

 

[baby_maybe]

Chig you're fine hun, you've had your scan, baby is in the right place. Sometimes you just get higher than average hcg. If it were anything to worry about it would either be much much higher than that or much lower. If the nurse and docs aren't worried than neither should you be.

Wow, I wish I was at good at taking my own advice as I am at giving it

 

[grace10209]

Here's the link chig, it should put your mind at ease somewhat

https://www.babymed.com/hcg-level-in-early-pregnancy

Thanks baby_maybe! So here is how my numbers match up according to the site:
4w+4d: avg= 1710, normal range = 1,050-2,800 -->Mine=3317
4w+6d, avg= 3100, normal range = 1,940-4,980. -->Mine = 5731

Are my numbers too high? According to my scan, I was measuring only 4w+3d when I thought I was 4w+6d...So confusing...What does this all mean???

So, according to the site, since my numbers were already so high, it should be taking 72-96 hours to double. According to that, my numbers did great. If I calculate it, my numbers indicate a rate double time every 60 hours! Am I going crazy calculating all this ?

I wish the nurse told me this, so that I wouldn't panic so much.

Chig you are fine! please dont fret. Look at this chart. The HIGHEST beta recorded for a healthy pregnancy at 23dpo is 41,000 and you are 5731
https://www.betabase.info/showBasicChart.php?type=Single

OR if you look at the twins sheet your fine too. MAYBE ITS TWINS
https://www.betabase.info/showBasicChart.php?type=Twin


Either way, your baby(or babies) are fine and healthy. What is meant to be, will be. Deep Breaths..........

 

[grace10209]

Ok so I need some of my own positive advice thrown back at me now. I just got a call from my 1st results after injection on Thursday.
Thursday was 1008, and today is 1856
I "know" they said it will likely go up on first draw but now im upset. They said if im not under 1577 on Thursday then I'll need another injection...............

OMG i just want to move forward, this is brutal

I could cry all over again and TODAY is the first day I haven't cried. OY

 

[baby_maybe]

Mine didn't go down on the first draw after the shot either, I think it went up slightly but mine was very high for metho to start with. By the 7 day draw it had dropped some though. Let me go to my journal and I'll post up what it was and when for you xx

 

[baby_maybe]

I had the metho on the 5th so it went up 3,000 on the day 4 draw, by day 7 it was lower than day 4, but not than the starting figure. They wanted me to have another shot of metho, but I refused, so they kept me going back more than once a week to start with. Here's the list of bloods I had taken and the numbers:

1 - 1/3 - hcg 6000 (the hcg's are rough numbers until the most recent one's)
2 - 3/3 - hcg 7000
3 - 5/3 - hcg 10000
4 - 9/3 - hcg 13000
5 - 12/3 - hcg 12000
6 - 14/3 - hcg 7500
7 - 16/3 - hcg 6000
8 - 20/3 - hcg 5500
9 - 27/3 - hcg 2500
10 - 3/4 - hcg 882
11 - 10/4 - hcg 568
12 - 17/4 - hcg 358
13 - 24/4 - hcg 216
14 - 1/5 - hcg 34
15 - 8/5 - hcg 1.3

 

[grace10209]

Thanks Baby_maybe this helps. I will see what Thursday brings. Would you mind telling me why you refused the 2nd shot? it seems a lot of women have gotten it so Im just curious.

Im praying that Thursday it is down enough -

 

[grace10209]

i have another question for you all. Its about ttc and when is safe. I read you need to be on prenatals for 6 weeks after injection (starting when hcg hits 0) to build up your folic acid level to be safe for pregnancy. But then I also read you need to wait 3 months after injection to ttc.

So, which is it? I mean What "if" my hcg gets to zero and then I start prenatals right away, then is 6 weeks after starting prenatals OK to ttc? what if its not 3 months from injection date? ...........OR should i wait the full 3 months from date of injection, regardless of if i have done 6 weeks of prenatals?

Thank you and sorry. I just want to be certain and then plan around that.

 

[Renzalxx]

Grace, everyone is told something different so i would check with your obstetrician to be absolutely sure. I was told to wait until my levels reach zero then build up my folic acid for three months before TTC. THis was last June though and they may have revised the information since then but I fell pregnant just short of this (approx 4 months from the original shot) and had a missed miscarriage. Doc told me my eggs might have still been damaged from the MTX.. it is really terrible stuff!!!!.....so the only advice i can give you is to not rush into things (i know, easier said than done) until your body has completely healed from the trauma it has been through as my MMC set me back a further 3 months before we could TTC again.
Good Luck
PS: your HCG is meant to go up after your shot so should start to come down soon!

 

[Renzalxx]

Here's the link chig, it should put your mind at ease somewhat

https://www.babymed.com/hcg-level-in-early-pregnancy

Thanks baby_maybe! So here is how my numbers match up according to the site:
4w+4d: avg= 1710, normal range = 1,050-2,800 -->Mine=3317
4w+6d, avg= 3100, normal range = 1,940-4,980. -->Mine = 5731

Are my numbers too high? According to my scan, I was measuring only 4w+3d when I thought I was 4w+6d...So confusing...What does this all mean???

So, according to the site, since my numbers were already so high, it should be taking 72-96 hours to double. According to that, my numbers did great. If I calculate it, my numbers indicate a rate double time every 60 hours! Am I going crazy calculating all this ?

I wish the nurse told me this, so that I wouldn't panic so much.

Hey chicken
Your numbers look great hun, as long as they are going up you should be fine especially now that your lil munchkin is in the right spozzie xxxx
Some people just have really high numbers - it will drive you bonkers trying to decifer your numbers - that is why my GP wouldnt do them last time - everyone is soooo different! But Yipppeeeeee for your wee one!!! Have they ruled out multiple pregnancy? When is your next scan again? Bet you cant wait.....